Lovelier News for Spring 2026
A new ‘liquid air’ plant at Manchester is thought to be the first commercial-scale endeavour in the world. Air will be cleaned & compressed to a very high pressure. When cooled the compressed air turns into a liquid form for storage.
When energy is needed, the liquid air is evaporated & turned into gas, which can be used to drive turbines & generate electricity.
The turbine is set to begin
operating August 2026, which will help to stabilise the electricity grid. What an ingenious idea!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20251009-the-liquid-air-alternative-to-fossil-fuels
2) UK to Ban Plastic Wipes
Wet wipes are often found littering our beaches & waterways. During a Defra beach monitoring survey they reported an average of 20 wet wipes littering every 100 metres of beach across the UK - yikes.
Wet wipes can easily block sewers too. New legislation by the UK government will now require companies to phase out plastic wipes by 2027.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/plastic-wet-wipes-ban
3) Beavers Make a Splash Back
Last year, Pensthorpe estate confirmed the first free-living wild beaver recorded in Norfolk for several hundred years. New camera footage confirmed two individual beavers now occupying a substantial lodge within Pensthorpe’s restored wetlands.
The discovery confirms the presence of a settled wild pair in Norfolk for the first time in 500 years.
https://www.pensthorpe.com/beavers-at-pensthorpe/
More good news - a pair of Beavers (named Beryl & Bertie) were released in a wetland area North of Shrewsbury last year. They have been seen on video with baby beavers making the first recorded evidence of beavers breeding in Shropshire, for 400 years.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4dw7p2dlvo
A disused farm at Knepp Estate, Sussex reported a 900% increase in breeding birds after a successful rewilding project including turtle doves & nightingales. Butterflies & damsel flies have increased in large numbers too. A win, win – old land put to good use & an increase in biodiversity.
5) Rewilding Scotland Reaches Milestone
The Northwood Rewilding Project in Scotland was started in 2021 & so far 100 landowners have taken part.
The results are astonishing with over 300 thousand trees planted, 300 ponds created, kilometres of hedges planted & 35 beavers released, plus loads more besides! https://www.scotlandbigpicture.com/northwoods
6) British Wildlife to Feature on New Bank Notes
The Bank of England are planning to add British Wildlife to new bank notes being printed soon. A public consultation will go ahead this summer, to ask which animal should be printed on the notes. Do you have your own favourite?
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/news/2026/march/wildlife-feature-on-next-series-of-banknotes
7) Thin Lizzy Guitarist joins Fox Project
Thin Lizzy’s lead guitarist Scott Gorman has recently joined the Fox Project based in Kent as a patron. He became fascinated and beguiled by the foxes in his garden and wanted to do more to protect the species.
He joins 2 other patrons Chris Packham & Anneka Svenska (a TV host who founded You Tube’s Animal Watch).
https://foxproject.org.uk/pages/about-us
8) Horse Power in Scotland
Tarzan the logging horse has been enrolled to clear non native trees from islands on the shore of Loch Arkaig in Scotland. Non native conifers were planted in the 1960’s, drowning out native Caledonian pines.
A custom made barge has been designed to help carry the timber across to the main land with Tarzan helping to pull trees from inaccessible areas.
The barge whose Gaelic name is Each-Uisge translates as 'Water Horse' – how fitting!
This lovely project was funded by players of the Postcode Lottery.
https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/news/charity/straight-from-the-horses-mouth
9) Crane Chick Numbers Start to Fly
The species of Crane became extinct in the UK 400 years ago, but we’re starting to see a turn around. Last year there were 87 pairs across the UK with 37 chicks, bringing the total population to about 250.
The Fen at Lakenheath, Suffolk have created a haven for crane chicks including a runway for adult birds to take off (they are over a metre tall!) The site has seen 26 chicks being raised since 2007, which is a record number of chicks.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgr45pdz35o
10) Butterfly Friendly Town in Dorset
A town council in Dorset has pledged to become the first official Butterfly Friendly town in the UK. Gillingham have previously received nature-friendly Green Flag Awards for their biodiversity plans.
They hope to create a special 'moon meadow' - an area with dedicated planting for night-flying moths and other nocturnal creatures.
In other good news, the large tortoiseshell butterfly, previously thought to be extinct, has been spotted in several counties across England & the Isle of Wight.
Did You Know that 22nd April is Earth Day this Year?
🌍 Check out the Earth Day page for more detail - plus pick up some tips on reducing plastics: https://www.earthday.org/factsheet-landing-page/
🌍 Check out the new mobile phone
provider Eco Talk who use their profits to help rewilding projects. Chris Packham is one of the members on the team:
https://www.ecotalk.co.uk/
🌍 Eco Kids Magazine – suitable for children age 7-11, an award winning magazine to inspire children to love and protect our planet:
https://www.ecokidsplanet.co.uk/
https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2026/
